


Mascara

by KawafujiTakao



Category: Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo
Genre: M/M, one-sided
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-07
Updated: 2018-03-07
Packaged: 2019-03-28 01:56:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13893786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KawafujiTakao/pseuds/KawafujiTakao
Summary: Franz finds his mother's mascara





	Mascara

**Author's Note:**

> I am whole-heartedly convinced at certain points in the anime that Franz wears mascara:
> 
> http://baronfranzdepinay.tumblr.com/post/171599849520/franz-wears-mascara-change-my-mind

_This is ridiculous._

He thought to himself.

_I_ look  _ridiculous_.

He wasn't sure why he stopped at his mother's dresser, why he even bothered to pick up the fairly new mascara wand he saw, or why he thought it a good idea to put it on himself.

Maybe it was because when people had hair as blonde and fare as his, eyelashes just didn't seem to exist.

Or maybe because nearly everyday he would see a fantastic representation of said lashes. And as if the fact that his chocolate brown hair and tan skin weren't enough, those blue eyes like an ocean combatted his hair color very strikingly. 

He just couldn't conpete with that.

After stabbing himself im the eye more often than he'd like to admit, he firmly gripped the mascara as he held his fists up againt the dresser, then leaning in to get a closer look in the mirror.

Franz tilted his head from side to side as if different angles would make it look any better on him.

"Well." Franz mumbled to no one in particular. "If I have one eye done, might as well do the other."

As he went through each stroke, he thought to himself for a little. Thought things like _'Hey I'm glad I don't have plans tonight.'_ Or _'Glad no one else is home.'_

But plans change. Sometimes in the matter of minutes. 

Franz had just finished with the last bit of practically painting mascara on and was ready to wipe it all off when the buzzer went off from the front gate.

"Who in the world has business at this hour?" He said to himself, walking over to the curtain to draw it back.

Albert stood at the gate, already knowing where Franz was due to the only light in the house on being the one he occupied. He looked up at the window with a goofy grin on his face.

Franz shut the curtain with a speed that he feared would tear the thing up.

Panic slowly grew up in his stomach.

What was he to do? Franz KNEW he had seen him; they made eye contact! He couldn't just ignore his _best friend_.

Wipe it off? No, that wouldn't do. He'd seen his mother on days where she caked on mascara. The end product was always at least an evening of looking like a raccoon. It wasn't easy to get off.

In that case, it would be less obvious to just...leave it on? 

"Ugh" Franz growled to himself as he made his way downstairs. As he opened the front door, he made a mental note to NOT turn on the porch light.

The door opened only slightly so that the only thing Albert could see was Franz's head. Which, Franz realized, was kind of pointless because his face was the  one thing he _didn't_  want the other  man to notice.

Albert stood infront, his features hard to make out due to the coming dusk. Franz only prayed the same went for how he appeared.

"Hey Franz!" He stopped for a second before continuing his speech. "Why is it so dark in there?"

"Why are you here? You could have called, you know."

Albert forced a frown. "I'm _here_  because I was so incredibly bored I had no clue what to do but spend my boring hours with a person equally as boring."

It seems he hasn't noticed. Franz left his gaurd down a little by opening the door further, the moonlight shining more glow on him than before.

"Then just spend time with yourself. That's pretty boring."

"Shut up! You're more boring than me!"

Albert always, _always_  did that. That thing he does were he makes fun of others but gets upset when others make fun back.

Most people would get fed up with it.

Franz just found it to be cute.

"Really?" Franz said, "Because I never said you specifically were boring. I just said spending one's time alone was boring. You just assumed that you were, in fact, boring."

Albert blushed.

_So easy to get flustered._

"Whetever. Come on, we're going someplace."

"I-I'd rather not." Franz told him, remembering the heavy amount of makeup on his eyes.

"Not feeling well? Then I'll come in. It's not good to feel ill and have no one to care for you."

Albert, not being able to take no for an answer, let himself in. 

Franz felt his body stiffen when he saw Albert walk over towards the closest light, switching it on.

The seconds inbetween the time it took Albert to turn around and face Franz felt like an eternity. What could he do? Covering his face would just be more obvious...

"Wow!"

And he noticed far quicker than Franz had hoped he would.

"Are you wearing mascara?"

Albert was now leaning over to gain a better sight of his face, pointing at him. 

"..." Franz couldn't bring himself to look Albert in the eye. "It's- it was a dare." A horrible lie.

"You? Lost? You lost a bet? I didn't know you knew how to lose."

"Sh-shut up." Franz felt utterly pathetic. There was nothing he could do to gain an upper hand. He'd never live this down.

"That's crazy, not even Eugenie wears that kinda stuff..."

Another stab to his mental state.

"Eugenie isn't normal...she doesn't like to wear dresses much either." _Sorry Eugenie._

"You sayin' you want to wear a dress, too?

Franz threw his hands up in defense. "No! Of course not! I just- I just was saying that Eugenie isn't a good example."

"Don't get so defensive, Franz." Albert grinned mockingly. "I'm sure you'd look cute in a dress."

_A joke._  Franz knew it was nothing more than a joke. But the mere idea of Albert ever considering him cute was enough to make his neck hot.

"I'm not cute." He crossed his arms. "And I am most certainly not wearing a dress."

"Sounds like something a cute person would say."

Franz inhaled a sharp sigh, reminding himself not to look too deep into Albert's words of teasing. "Whatever, can you help me get this off? I'm sure you have more experience wearing makeup than me."

"No, actually, I don't." Laughed Albert. "But sure, anything for the beautiful lady."

Franz shook his head as he headed for his mother's room, gesturing Albert to follow behind.

"You know anything about wiping this stuff off?" Franz asked Albert as they headed through the door's frame. All I know is from watching my Mother."

"I could say the same thing. Eugenie doesn't wear any! How about Valentine?"

Franz turned around, giving him a sour glare. Albert knew it was a sore spot, (WHY it was a sore spot, Albert didn't need to know.) so bringing it up was pretty uncomfortable. 

"I don't spend much time with her and you know that."

Albert just rolled his eyes

"Fine, fine, sit down."

Franz listened and took a seat. His body was tense and ridgid. This scenario was just too strange.

"You have a towel?"

"Is that what makeup is supposed to be removed with?"

"Hm." Albert held his chin. "Who cares! It's what we'll use."

God why is he so idiotically cute?

"Be right back! I'm going to go grab one." With that, Albert ran out of the room, nearly tripping on the rug.

Albert. Albert Albert Albert. 

_It's just a stupid crush. It'll go away. Just give it time._

Is what Franz would have told himself at the beginning. Now he knows that he would forver be in love with him, whether he liked it or not. Time wouldn't be able to stop that.

Yet often times like this, as he waited for Albert to return, he really wishes it was just a 'stupid crush'

"I'm back, I brought the towel. I wet it."

Albert coming back took him out of his train of thought. "Yeah, ok. Give it your best shot."

"I'm doing all this?"

"You said you'd help."

Albert made a sound of disagreement, but said nothing.

He carefully held the hand towel, swallowing hard as if what he was about to do was a life or death operation. 

The meticulousness was gone when he started rubbing into Franz's eye with vigor.

"That doesn't feel too pleasant."

Albert scoffed at his choice of words. "It's harder to get off than it looks." 

"Here." Franz grabbed Alberts wrist and pulled his arm away. He regretted doing that immediately afterward because now his cheeks were probably as red as eyes that Albert had rubbed so intensely. "Does it look gone?"

"You look like a raccoon."

"And you look like an idiot."

"Hhmp. Then help yourself." Or so Albert said, but he went right back to the task at hand.

They were so close, as they have been so many other times before. It hurt Franz just as much as it made his heart flutter and his words stammer. He could see the focus in Albert's eyes. The way he slightly stuck his tounge out between his lips. The furrow of his brow.

"Well it... it doesn't look completely off." Albert told him. "But I dont think anymore wet-towel would do anything.

Franz's eyes were sore and stressed as he looked up at Albert. "Do I still look like a raccoon?"

"I'm not going to answer that." Albert said as he took a glance as the towel. It used to be starched white, but now it had blotches of black all over it.  "Besides, what was the point of putting this on for a dare if no one but you and me saw it? You were in your mother's room putting it on when I got here, right?"

Albert wasn't as stupid as he looked.

"...Don't tell anyone."

Albert crouched to be eye level and slapped his hands on his knees. "I knew it! I knew you did this on your own free will!"

"Please, never mention it again. I'll never do it again I was just- just curious as to what I'd look like."

"Don't worry about it." Albert put a hand on Franz's shoulder. "You didn't look too bad. You actually could pass as a pretty woman."

It most certainly wasn't a compliment.

But Franz thought he may try putting more on another day if Albert saw him that way.

 

 

____________

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Why did I post this I'm
> 
> Oh yeah I'm desperately self-indulging


End file.
